1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a food processing method and system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and system for minimizing microbial growth while an animal is processed into food. In addition, the present invention relates to controlling temperature and reducing the need for fresh water during food processing.
2. Description of Related Art
The health conscious public demands food that is safe, sanitary, and free of microorganisms and chemicals. In addition, government health and safety agencies regulate the quality of food. Although the food industry attempts to meet the demands of both the public and the government, large scale food preparing operations inevitably provide environments favorable for the growth of harmful bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms.
Large facilities for processing live animals into food have been in use for a number of years. Many of these facilities, however, lack adequate equipment and controls to reduce the growth of potentially harmful microorganisms. Lack of sufficient cooling, atmosphere control, and cleansing are some of the primary reasons microbes thrive during food processing.
In most conventional food processing facilities, an animal carcass is cooled only after the carcass is processed to remove viscera and cut into portions. (As used herein, the term “carcass” generally means a whole animal body or a portion of the animal body) Immediately after an animal is slaughtered, however, the resulting carcass is at a temperature that is approximately the same as the body temperature of the animal. This warm temperature of the carcass promotes microbial growth up until the time when the carcass is finally cooled. Because a great amount of time normally passes from when an animal is slaughtered to when the processed carcass is cooled, significant growth of microbes can occur.
The atmosphere within a food processing facility also affects microbial growth during food processing. Many different types of microorganisms thrive on gases such as oxygen, but little or no attempt is made to control the relative amounts of these gases during food processing. In addition, many of the existing food processing facilities do not use gases, such as ozone, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and argon, which can control microbial growth without contaminating the resulting food.
Poor cleaning of both animals and processing machines is yet another reason for microbial contamination. Typically, animals, such as chickens, are shipped to a food processing facility and slaughtered before they have been washed. The filth, fecal matter, and dirt carried by these animals often spread throughout an entire food processing facility, resulting in contaminated food.
As machines process one animal carcass after another, they often cross contaminate carcasses and assist in spreading microbes. Fresh water or water in combination with chemicals is used to wash the machines, but the water alone is ineffective for killing microbes, and the chemicals added to water often pollute the water to a level requiring special disposal procedures. Because most conventional food processing facilities use a significant amount of fresh water, they cannot be located in areas lacking a large source of fresh water.
In light of the foregoing, there is a need in the art for a method and system for processing food to reduce microbial growth and to eliminate the need for excessive amounts of fresh water.